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TIL the Space Shuttle had a glide ratio of 4.5:1, which is only slightly better than a helicopter with an engine failure (4:1).

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695D8 TIL that Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi had a homicidal urge (usually by dismemberment) every time he was drunk, so his prime minister set up a supply of condemned prisoners to the palace. If a prisoner could survive three months without being killed, he would be set free.
781Wr TIL bootlegger Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton killed himself rather than report to federal prison after being convicted of moonshining offences. He prepared his grave footstone years in advance and had it by his front porch and kept his casket in his living room. The epitaph read, "Popcorn Said Fuck You."
166MX TIL The inventor of waterbeds tried to use Jello
neDjG TIL that in Japanese anime and in Native American Sioux culture, nosebleeds signify sexual arousal.
J1bdV TIL construction on the 2nd Ave Subway started in 1972 but was halted in 1975 due to NYC's fiscal crisis. It resumed in 2007 where 1.8 miles of track cost $4.45 & a planned 1.5 mile will cost $ 6 billion. One expert stated that the Phase 1 project was the most expensive subway project in the world.